Jones’s cover art is dated 2007, which has me wondering if Unseen is really just a Legends of the Dark Knight arc DC had in a drawer. It’s definitely a retro tale (even says so on the title page) as Moench tries to work out what happens when the bad guys aren’t scared of Batman anymore. Well, that element’s more of a sub-sub-plot. Mostly it’s about the art.
Jones draws Batman fight scenes here. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anything like them. You have this incredibly liquid, murky, malleable Batman kicking some villain. Jones’s art shouldn’t lend itself to action (creepiness is his more recognized stronger suit and the rest of the issue is mostly utilizes that talent), but it does. It’s so interesting to see.
There are some disconnects, however. Moench’s bumbling bad guys (the comic relief) look positively frightening the way Jones draws them.
